BY ANDREA Meanwell - Farming officer, The Lake District National Park Authority

The beginning of a new year, and change and adaptation for farmers in the Lake District is again on the agenda.

In conjunction with the National Trust, we recently ran an event about farm diversification for our new entrants to the farming group. This was with John Atkinson and Maria Benjamin at Nibthwaite Grange Farm. The young farmers attending really appreciated the opportunity to see the rare-breed livestock that John and Maria have, as well as their fantastic diversification through farm holiday lets, a campsite, a camping barn and a soap dairy. It was an inspiring day.

The general election galvanized me into action on my own farm, and I filled out an expression of interest form for a grant to part-fund diversification, and a planning application for this. With the loss of the Basic Payment Scheme for farms looming large on the horizon, we must look for other ways to provide income on the farm. We were also very busy selling lambs and cows over the festive break.

There are a number of events coming up about the future of farming that I am looking forward to attending, such as the National Farmers’ Union conference at Junction 36 on February 12, and the Farmers Weekly diversification event at the Lakeland Farm Park Visitor Centre, Ings, on February 27. We also had our national park team Christmas lunch here, and the team enjoyed sampling the farm’s Herdwick hogget and beef.

Also coming up is the launch of a new Animal Health Development Board (AHDB) strategic farm at Ninezergh Farm, Levens on January 23. It is great to have all this activity and progressive thinking around the Lake District and we are lucky to have the opportunity to attend these events and learn from them. There is another AHDB strategic farm at Rawfoot near Shap, and an AHDB farmers group for the area. We recently visited a farm in Northumberland with this group to talk about rotational grazing and soil health. We are lucky to have Colin Bateman from Croftfoot Farm, Docker as the first AHDB board member from the uplands, ensuring that the needs of upland farmers are discussed by the board.

Some of colleagues here at the National Park Authority are very busy working with the National Park Partnership towards the production of the next management plan for the Lake District, and at events in the next couple of months you may see me asking for your opinion about the future of farming in the Lake District, the opportunities that farmers will have and the skills that they will need to take advantage of them. All comments about this future management of the Lake District from farmers will be gratefully received, valued and will provide essential evidence for thinking about the next management plan.